Francis Midford
Marchioness Frances Phantomhive-Midford (フランシス ミッドフォード Furanshisu Middofōdo) is a noblewoman. She is the wife of Alexis Leon Midford, mother of Edward and Elizabeth, sister of Vincent Phantomhive and aunt of Ciel Phantomhive. Appearance Frances is known for her beauty and presents herself as a clean, orderly woman. She keeps her hair in a tight bun, but has a long cowlick with a slight curl, much like her daughter. She wears a clean, slightly ornate dress with white gloves and a short, beaded necklace. When she is hunting, she changes into a short jacket, pants, and riding boots. It is understood that she is well-toned, due to her intense, physical training.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 12 Personality She is known for her ambition and prowess. She first met her husband, Marquis Midford, when she defeated him in a fencing tournament held by Queen Victoria. She is also known as someone who is strict, abides by the rules, never hides her actions and abstains from desire and temptation. For this reason, she is highly respected. She also, apparently, has a tendency to arrive to locations earlier than expected or planned.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 11 Frances tends to regard most others with a level of disdain, as she insults Ciel Phantomhive's bed head and calls Sebastian Michaelis 'indecent' and 'inappropriate.' She does, however, eventually gain a level of respect for both of them, and does seem to respect Tanaka, as she tells Ciel and Sebastian to learn from him regarding their appearance.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 10 She has shown that she cares about her family very much, as it is extremely important to her that Elizabeth marry a man who can take care of her.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 32 Manga's Synopsis Jack the Ripper Frances is first seen some months after Angelina Durless's death, when she and Elizabeth pay a visit to the Phantomhive manor. When she arrives, she is not impressed by Sebastian's and Ciel's lackluster appearances, and insists on an inspection.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 14 While Sebastian had prepared everything for her visit, Baldroy, Mey-Rin, and Finnian have accidentally destroyed all of his preparations.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 15-17 thumb|left|120px|Frances appears to shoot and kill a bear. As a back-up plan, he leads her out to the stables, where she challenges Ciel to a hunting competition. Sebastian outlines the rules as whoever can kill the most animals in a 25 km range of the forest in three hours.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 21 At the end of the competition, Ciel and Frances tie with 15 animals each. They go to lunch, and agree they cannot leave it at a draw. While eating, a bear comes out of the forest and attacks Elizabeth. Ciel dives on her to protect her, while it appears that Frances killed the bear with a single shot. Ciel concedes that because she killed a sixteenth animal, she is the victor. Frances says it will take Ciel ten years to defeat her yet she commends his bravery for protecting her daughter. She acknowledges him worthy of being her future son-in-law and they decide to return to the manor.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 25-32 While on the way there, Frances talks quietly with Sebastian, where she returns a knife that he 'left behind' in the bear's head. She comments that she was so flustered by her fear for Elizabeth's safety that her shot missed, and she questions why Sebastian did not allow Ciel to take glory for his killing of the bear. Sebastian replies that Ciel has a lot of ambitions and that if he cannot learn some humility, then in the future, should he ever stumble, he may not be capable of recovering. He adds that while Ciel is a head of a house, he is just a child. Therefore, he needs someone to look up to, and he thought Frances would be a good adult role model.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 32-36 At the manor, it is shown that the other servants prepared a surprise birthday party for Ciel, which turns out to be the real reason for Frances' and Elizabeth's visit. She then turns to his servants and says that she is counting on them to take care of Elizabeth and Ciel in the future. After, she thanks Sebastian for everything he has done, and then reveals that she was aware of the ruined garden, broken tea set, and burnt dinner that he had earlier tried to conceal. Consequently, she, Finnian, Tanaka, Ciel, and Elizabeth admire the snow.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 37-42 Ship Voyage Frances appears once again on the day of boarding the luxury ship, Campania. Exuberant that Ciel has decided to accompany them, Elizabeth hugs him in joy. Frances snaps at her daughter for revealing such an indecent behavior in public. Behind her is her husband, Alexis, and her son, Edward.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 52, page 3 Afterwards, Frances and her family are eating with Ciel. Sebastian and Snake are shown having their hair combed back, an insinuation that Frances, with her prompt and strict personality, has ordered them to do so.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 52, page 5 She reappears after the Bizarre Dolls have escaped their coffins. Frances is shown battling the Bizarre Dolls ferociously. She stabs a Bizarre Dolls through its chest and is surprised when it continues attacking nonetheless. Sebastian destroys the Bizarre Doll and informs Frances that the only way of stopping them is to smash their heads. They both fought back to back against the Bizarre Dolls and after realizing what Sebastian said is true, she compensates by excusing his slovenly face and hairstyle.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 55, page 18-20 Her husband and son rush in and Edward asks where is Elizabeth. Sebastian says that she's with his young master and Alexis and Frances are in relief since they believe that Ciel would protect her at all costs. Edward and Alexis both gives a speech about protecting the weak, which she approves of. Sebastian is slightly dubious and Frances urges him to go since he can rely on their ability as swordsmen.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 55, page 21-22 Soon after, a shock reverberated throughout the ship due to the collision with icebergs. They are shown shocked.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 56, page 5-6 Consequently, in the first class lounge, Frances, Edward, and Alexis comes to the rescue, killing the Bizarre Dolls that have terrorized the place. They declare to the people to don't give up.Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 57, page 6 Quotes *(To Ciel) "I came to hold a surprise check up and it seems you are lazing about as usual. On top of that, your butler is still as indecent as ever! Keep in mind that you are the man that my very own daughter will marry in the future. Re-training will take place today! I shall begin with the inside of your mansion! Unruliness in the home environment is the first thing that will lead to the heart being unruly."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 14 *"This is a good chance for me to see the kind of man my daughter will marry. But maybe ... hunting is too much work for Earl Phantomhive who is incredibly feminine?"Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 19 *"Hmph. It will be at least ten years before you can beat me. Though, you are worthy of my praise after such a display of bravery. You gave your all to protect my little girl. So, I owe you one. You are worthy of being my son-in-law, Earl Ciel Phantomhive."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 31-32 *(To Sebastian) "You took out the bear, right? My shot missed. I panicked when I saw it go for her; I must be getting old..."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 33 *(To the Phantomhive household) "I will be counting on you all to take care of my daughter and her husband in the future."Kuroshitsuji manga, Chapter 14, page 39 Trivia *Her only "appearance" in the anime has been limited to a brief, relatively unclear snapshot of her in a photograph.Kuroshitsuji anime, Episode 12 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Nobles Category:Manga-Only Characters Category:Midford Household Category:Ship Voyage Arc